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America’s Duty
“People continue to ignore real poverty and homelessness, it’s almost maddening.”-Daphne Zuniga. Lately there has been controversy and arguing regarding what to do with homelessness. This issue has been magnified lately with the idea of building a permanent homeless shelter in San Diego. The construction of the shelter has been delayed by petty political squabbles and funding issues. However it should be the American people’s obligation to provide assistance to the unfortunate people on the streets and create permanent shelter for them. The United States has some of the world’s most powerful military and industrial capabilities, yet the fact that we have thousands of homeless in San Diego alone is inexcusable. Providing for the homeless makes sense economically, morally, and medically.
One of the most common arguments is that the homeless are lazy and provide nothing for society. Whether one agrees on this statement or not it is fact that the combined 150,000 chronically homeless people in America cost 10.95 billion dollars per year to upkeep. The homeless also take up enormous amount of space in our prisons, hospitals, and jails. On average the normal homeless man costs 2,000 more dollars a year to keep healthy versus the average citizen. If these individuals were housed the cost could fall as low as 7.8 billion dollars a year. Initially creating permanent housing would create a temporary debt but in the long run it would save the country so much money. Think of it as an investment as a stock. One will lose money at first but the money will be earned back. Already in places such as Seattle permanent housings are being constructed to combat homelessness. According to homeagainsd.org the article “Success in other cities” states that Denver has saved an average of 5,000 dollars a person annually from setting up permanent homeless shelters. However this needs to be completed on a much larger scale. Creating temporary homes and soup kitchens for the homeless will only stave off the core issue of them being unable to produce for themselves. Once housed perhaps the homeless will even be able to search for jobs and not be seen as “dead weight”.
Another reason to create homeless housing is for ethical reasons. Many critics of those who help the homeless say that the people on the streets brought it upon themselves and deserve to stay on them. Some even choose to not have a home like in “Box Man” by Barbara Ascher. The problem with this perspective is that the majority people who are homeless have no choice and may live in areas of poverty. In Jeff Mcdonald’s article “Homeless shelter stuck on drawing board” he shows a homeless woman bound to a wheelchair who depends on her homeless shelter for survival. This country was built on the pillars of freedom and equal opportunity. Millions of brave Americans have died defending these incredible rights we as a people have been bestowed with. So it is a little absurd to see rich millionaires driving by people on the streets that are starving and fighting to live day by day. One image in my head still strikes resolute with me. I was in Los Angeles visiting my aunt and uncle two years ago. It was easily ninety five degrees and the Los Angeles smog was noticeably thicker than usual. My family and I were cruising through downtown Los Angeles enjoying the scenery. While I was in my air conditioned car I gazed onward at an entire street filled with homeless people. I vividly recall their faces covered in sweat, without a trace of hope as they stared hungrily at those who were driving by. I applaud our country for assisting the people of need in Africa however our own country has hundreds of thousands of homeless with many more citizens on the verge of joining them. America as a whole should be ashamed at how we treat some of our own people. Many homeless people are desperate enough to the point that they will sell drugs or even their bodies to get off the streets. Is this not a big enough warning sign that America needs to take action? America is still seen as the land of opportunity, a land were a hard working American can start out as a janitor and work to a CEO of a corporation. The homeless at the least deserve to have a hand up to get them back to their feet. Our founding fathers would be ashamed if they saw how society is attempting to sweep the issue of homelessness under the rug act as though it is not there. Society and the government should have a duty to honor this country’s traditions and provide homeless shelters to those in need.
Homeless people are in much worse condition compared to the average middle-class citizen. There are many reasons for the mental and physical deterioration of homeless people. Most of the people are overcrowded making it easier to spread diseases. To make it worse the people have limited access to showers or healthcare. As a result many of the homeless are left to fight off diseases and infections by themselves. More than likely they will not be successful and may perish. Now many people will want to let them die amongst themselves. However diseased people on the streets are also threats to public health. They could potentially transmit infectious diseases to bystanders and people who clean up after them. Having a public health threat that can be stopped easily with the cooperation of the government and the American people simply doesn’t make sense. Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again. Yet year after year studies have shown taking the homeless people off the streets not only benefits the homeless, but also the other people in the area. Rates of infectious diseases will drop quickly. Furthermore the website homeagainsd.org found that “20-25% of the homeless have mental illnesses.” If the illnesses are untreated homeless people could possibly snap and become a danger to innocent civilians and others around them. It is imperative to get them permanently housed to make it easier to give them access to medical care and treat whatever disease they may have.
The homeless deserve better than what they are receiving right now. Look at the statue of liberty. It stands gleaming over weary immigrants who travel to our country. The statue promises hope to immigrants who have traveled to America in search of a new life. The same must apply to the homeless people of America. Homeless Americans desperately require a source of inspiration to look up to. Many of the homeless are on their last leg, scraping by each day and simply surviving. That standard of living in a country as great as America is unacceptable. America is a glorious country with glistening fields, sprawling cities, and amazing opportunities. Although it is a controversial subject, the homeless deserve permanent housing. It is the most sensible thing to do economically, ethically, and medically.